Informational handbook

Child Care and Domestic Help

Domestic help in Korea is by no means the minor expense it can be in southeast Asian countries. Women are available for full or part time help in the home, particularly watching children, but the current cost is perhaps in the range of W40,000 ($32) per day, evenings not included. Foreign families with school-age children may have someone one or two days a week. Korean professional families in which both parents are, for instance, university professors will certainly have a full-time helper, but they also pay a substantial portion of their income to do so. Other than as a specified additional part of an arrangement with a regular helper in the home, evening baby-sitting is not easily available (not many American teenagers to ask and it’s not something Korean teenagers do). It’s one more way in which Korea is a “developed” country.

Schooling for Dependents

Senior lecturers and researchers with children of school age may receive a dependent schooling allowance for up to two children. Junior researchers (students) may receive an allowance for one child only. These allowances are used to cover actual costs up to a maximum of $14,000.00 per entitled child per year and are applicable to the school tuition and fees of dependents in grades K through 12. In almost all cases, the tuition support falls short of actual costs if the child attends an international school.

School tuition for school age dependents is normally required to be paid in full prior to enrollment, and this will be the Fulbrighter's own responsibility. The English language schools in Korea recommended by KAEC are:
Seoul:

Seoul Foreign School K-12 http://www.sfs.or.kr

Seoul International School K-12 http://www.sis-lhs.gyeonggi.kr

International Christian School K-12 http://icseoul.org

Centennial Christian School K-12 http://edu.elim.net/~ccs1996
Busan:

Busan Foreign School K-12 http://www.busanforeignschool.org

International School of Pusan K-10 http://www.ispusan.co.kr
Daejeon:

Taejon Christian International School K-12 http://www.tcis.or.kr

Gwangju:

Kwangju Foreign School K-12 http://kfs.gwangju.kr/

Seoul Foreign School and Seoul International School are the two most highly regarded international schools in Seoul.
"Our teenage daughters went to Seoul Foreign School – an excellent private school with an international curriculum which challenged them and gave them many new experiences. It was very good (and sobering) for them to deal with the more competitive environment. They derived much satisfaction from new friends, a successful adjustment and the new vistas on the world."
On a full school year basis, there may be a shortfall up to $3,000 as costs at the two top international schools in Seoul have spiraled in recent years to well over $15,000 for an academic year. ICS and Centennial are somewhat less expensive.
If you have school-age dependents who will attend an international school, you should get in touch with the KAEC offices as early as possible and request that a reservation be made at the school you are interested in. As space in most grades is quite limited at the top schools, you may not be able to get your dependent enrolled in your first choice school if you delay too long. KAEC is willing to advise you on the choice of a school, but ultimately you must make the decision yourself based on the information provided by the schools.
The availability of English language schools for dependents of Fulbrighters located outside of Seoul is limited (see list above – TCIS has boarding facilities as well). The U.S. Department of Defense has a school system in Korea for military dependents, but Fulbright dependents are not authorized enrollment.
Some Fulbrighters express an interest in sending their children to a Korean school. We will help you explore possibilities if you are interested. Except for children in the lowest elementary school grades, however, this is not an option to be recommended unless the child speaks some Korean already.
Another option is to rely on correspondence courses and home schooling instead of school attendance. In the past, several Fulbrighters have taken this option and found it to be very workable. This option is recommended especially when there would be substantial additional schooling costs not covered by the terms of the Fulbright award. The costs of correspondence study may be covered by the dependent schooling allowance. Moreover, the costs for additional dependents besides those who are entitled under the terms of the award may be covered provided the total expenditure does not exceed the amount budgeted for this benefit.
KAEC will be happy to discuss all the available alternatives with you both before and after your arrival in Korea. As explained above, however, you are responsible for seeking any information on the schools or correspondence study you will need and making your own decision.

V. RETURNING TO THE U.S.

Travel Arrangements

When you reserved your ticket to Korea, you should have received an open-ended return ticket with the same airline. All you need to do is contact that airline and arrange a reservation for your preferred day of departure. Please remember that KAEC covers the cost of the least expensive routing from Korea to your home of record. If you want to make intermediate stops or travel by an alternate routing, you will be responsible for any additional costs.

Visa Status Changes

Regardless of the expiration date printed on the visa in your passport, after your grant end date your A-3 visa will not be valid for future travel to Korea. Regardless of your travel plans, from the end date of your grant you will have a 30-day grace period in which you must either leave the country or secure a new visa. Fulbright grantees who plan to stay in Korea after the termination of their grant for more than 30 days should contact the Immigration Office for information on changing their visa status.